Simply Calligraphy: A Beginner's Guide to Elegant Lettering

This is an incredibly detailed book for beginners. This book very much holds your hand through the process.To do this, you will need wide ruled paper, as you'd find in any stationery store, a common pen to learn the basic forms, and  Pilot Parallel Pen 2-Color Calligraphy Pen Set, with Black and Red Ink Cartridges, 1.5mm Nib (90050)  specifically in the 1.5mm size. Grab some extra ink while you're at it. You'll need it. This goes through ink fast.This really does focus on the basics. First you learn the basic strokes, then the bare skeletal form of the lower case letters, then the letters themselves organized by similarity of form. Take your time. You should not move up to using the calligraphy pen until you have memorized the basic forms. You shouldn't need to ever look them up (they are all together on a single page if you have to) but rather, you should have them committed to memory.After all that, the entire process is repeated with the upper case letters, finally ending with numerals, punctuation, and flourishes.I've been doing a page per letter and that helps a lot. The goal is to build muscle memory and skill with them, so once you're done you can use them and not think about it.This teaches only one font, Italics, and only shows two others by way of where to go next. It is not a comprehensive guide to calligraphy, but is a suitably comprehensive guide to starting out with calligraphy. Once you have these basics down, you can pick a font and start learning it. Chase after too many to start, and you're only more likely to get confused. There is time, and there are plenty of books, for that later on.

This was somewhat helpful. If you don’t have patience or talent then you’ll deff have a problem. I didn’t get very far but it did have some great points. I did not become a master though.

A great help as I am working hard to learn the Italic letter forms. This book was recommended by my teacher who has studied with the author. Enjoy!

It was a gift for a 9 year old that loves to draw, paint, and now learn the ancient art of Calligraphy.I learned in my teens, so this was a great craft to pass down.

Nice comprehensive book on calligraphy. Would recommend.

I expected more. I'm very disappointed.

This book is a great primer for anyone wanting to learn the Italic hand. The strokes for writing each letter are clearly delineated, and the exercises are terrific. I especially like the way the author groups letters that have similar stroke patterns together for practice. Seeing the pattern between the simiar letters makes its easier to get the strokes down pat.

The book was in great shape & I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Clear concise book. Easy to follow.

Great intro book!

Piuttosto scarno e molto generico, offre una buona panoramica delle possibilità che offre la scrittura calligrafica, per chi inizia a mio parare e poco invogliante, mi aspettavo qualcosa di più creativo e con più esercizi. Non ho ancora trovato il libro giusto !

For a beginner , I would have liked a little more in-depth descriptions with pictures of Capital & small letters side by side.. I guess some people may like it. I found the book dull.

No me ha gustado, aunque es una pequeña intriducción a los tipos de caligrafia. Antes de escoger libro, si tienes preferencia por algun tipo de caligrafia es mejor centtarte en esa. En mi caso era cooperplate.